Jim Witter was barely into his teens when his brother offered him his extra ticket to see a piano player named Billy Joel.
“I went and was completely in awe at what this man did. I remember the next day asking my Mom if she could show me a few chords on the piano,” he told me.
His Mom, a pianist, showed him a C chord, an F chord and an A minor. Jim took it from there.
“I borrowed my brother’s “Piano Man” album and I just sat and listened and figured it out for myself.”
That led him to a career in music, but the creation of his show – The Piano Men – which feature the songs of Joel and fellow ‘70s superstar pianist, Elton John, was something of a fluke.
“For us it really started as sort of a little local project,” he said. It was something to do musically in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, about 45 minutes from Toronto. “I never dreaming it would take off the way it did. Organically through the years, it has become the touring show it is now.”
Witter and his band now tour Canada and the U.S. with The Piano Men. It is not – he stresses – a typical tribute act.
“First of all, I don’t dress up like Billy or Elton – I don’t try to mimic them or recreate their stage show. My show focuses more on nostalgia. Throughout the evening we’ll be playing some of their biggest hits from the 1970s. Through the use of the visuals and me reminiscing, we go back to the 70s and remember that decade. It turns the evening into a little time machine.”
You can step into Jim Witter’s musical time machine this Friday night at the Palladium. Showtime is 8 p.m. For tickets and information call 727 822-3590 or visit www.mypalladium.org.
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